Ground water is one of the Nations most

important natural resources. It is the principal

source of drinking water for about 50 percent of the
United States population, providing approximately
96 percent of the water used for rural domestic
supplies and 40 percent of the water used for public
supplies (Solley and others, 1998). In addition,
more than 30 percent of the water used for agricultural
purposes is withdrawn from wells. Ground
water also is a significant, but often unrecognized,
component of the Nations surface-water resources.
Much of the flow in streams and the water in lakes
and wetlands is sustained by the discharge of ground
water, particularly during periods of dry weather.
Ground-water systems are dynamic and adjust
continually to short-term and long-term changes in
climate, ground-water withdrawal, and land use
(Box A). Water-level measurements from observation
wells are the principal source of information
about the hydrologic stresses acting on aquifers and
how these stresses affect ground-water recharge,
storage, and discharge. Long-term, systematic
measurements of water levels provide essential data
needed to evaluate changes in the resource over
time, to develop ground-water models and forecast
trends, and to design, implement, and monitor the

effectiveness of ground-water management and

protection programsThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has
collected water-level data for more than a hundred
years, and many State and other agencies have a
long history of water-level monitoring. However,
water-level monitoring in the United States is
fragmented and largely subject to the vagaries of
existing local projects. A stable, base network of
water-level monitoring wells exists only in some
locations. Moreover, agency planning and coordination
vary greatly throughout the United States with
regard to construction and operation of water-level
observation networks and the sharing of collected
data.
For many decades, periodic calls have been
made for a nationwide program to obtain more
systematic and comprehensive records of water
levels in observation wells as a joint effort among
USGS and State and local agencies. O.E. Meinzer
described the characteristics of such a program over
65 years ago: More recently, the National Research Council
(2000) reiterated, An unmet need is a national
effort to track water levels over time in order to
monitor water-level declines.
This report reviews the uses and importance
of data from long-term ground-water-level monitoring

in the United States. Case studies are

presented to highlight the broad applicability of
long-term ground-water-level data to water-resource
issues commonly faced by hydrologists, engineers,
regulators, and resource managers. It is hoped that
this report will provide a catalyst toward the
establishment of a more rigorous and systematic
nationwide approach to ground-water-level
monitoringclearly an elusive goal thus far. The
time is right for progress toward this goal. Improved
access to water data over the Internet offers the
opportunity for significant improvements in the
coordination of water-level monitoring and the
sharing of information by different agencies, as well
as the potential means for evaluation of water-level
monitoring networks throughout the United States.